Barbara I Gongini AW 2015 collection: 50 shades of BLACK!

Barbara I Gongini is an artist with a capital A, and her AW 2015 collection yet another example of how she makes little masterpieces for fashion lowers…some more wearable than others, but always with an Artist’s eye for proportion, line, cuts, fabrics and flow. And always true to her color palette; which also this year constitutes 50 shades of BLACK – with a little bit of white and grey as the most daring contrasts.
In a packed Copenhagen City Hall, with music fit for Lord of the Rings, the somber looking models whose faces were barely visible behind hair that completely covered their faces, Barbara I Gongini showed a strong collection for both men and women with a focus on asymmetric lines, deconstruction, strategically placed holes providing a peep to the skin and plenty of threads hanging down. There were oversized dresses and jackets, tight trousers, asymmetric knitwear, leather and wool as a contrast to jersey, textured linen and silks, and a playfulness between layering, threading and transparency.
Although her designs are not for everyone, you must admire Barbara I Gongini for being uncompromisingly true to her artistry, and for her ability to make fashion artworks in a market that demands increasingly mainstream styles. It was a strong and interesting collection that will definitely make a statement for the person wearing it — and based on the style of most of the audience — there was plenty of dedicated Barbara I Gongini fans ready to buy the new collection. And that is exactly one of the secrets behind Barbara I Gongini success — she knows her audience.
Image courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week.